Ireland coach Mike Ruddock will be hoping for a positive start to the Under-20 Six Nations Championship when his side takes on Scotland at Dubarry Park, Athlone tomorrow night, a game that will be broadcast live on RTE 2 (7.05). The visitors won last year's encounter but Ireland have dominated this fixture down through the years.
The home side will be looking to improve upon the third place finishes in the tournament in the last two seasons. UCD flanker Dan Leavy will captain the side taking over that mantle from another Belfield student, Luke McGrath who led the side last year, in both the Six Nations and the IRB Junior World Cup.
Lansdowne prop Peter Dooley and UCD flanker Peadar Timmins are survivors from this tournament last year while wing Adam Byrne (UCD) played in the World Cup. Indeed UCD provide seven of the starting Ireland team.
Ruddock admitted: “We narrowly lost to Scotland last year so we are aware of the challenge ahead of us. This group has gathered a lot of valuable game time with their clubs and provinces so the group have high hopes of delivering a strong performance at the weekend.”
Meanwhile a Setanta documentary, ‘Against The Wind,’ airs (Thursday, 10.0pm) telling the story of the C.R.O.S.S Rugby Legends Malin to Mizen Cycle. You’ll recognise a host of former rugby internationals including the Wallace brothers. A word of warning Irish Times columnist Liam Toland can be seen wearing lycra.
Ireland U-20: D Busby (Ulster); A Byrne (Leinster), G Ringrose (Leinster), P Robb (Leinster), I Fitzpatrick (Leinster); R Byrne (Leinster), N McCarthy (Leinster); P Dooley (Leinster), M Abbott (Munster), R Burke (Munster); S O'Brien (Connacht), R Molony (Leinster); P Timmins (Leinster), D Leavy (Leinster, capt), J O'Donoghue (Munster). Replacements: S Delahunt (Leinster), J Walshe (Connacht), O Heffernan (Lansdowne), J Joyce (Exiles), R Moloney (Connacht), J Cullen (Munster), C McKeon (Leinster), D Goggin (Munster).
